Paris January Sales

Today, Wednesday, January 9th is the official start date of the winter 2008 Paris sales. Thousands of anxious and patient shoppers will wait on line in their favorite shops to take advantage of 20% to sometimes 80% off. In case you didn’t know, the government and shops regulate sales and are technically not allowed to put something on sale if it’s not during the set time that is either in January or July. In fact, shops can be fined thousands of euros if they don’t comply.

I’ve always had this fantasy/nightmare that I would finally find that perfect black cashmere sweater I’ve been looking for years and getting it at 80% off. Except I would be buying in March, after the sales were over and just as I bring it up to the register, a SWAT team (or the French equivalent) would raid the store and I would be hauled off in a paddy wagon. They would later interrogate me for over 400 hours under hot lights wanting to know what motivated me to buy the sweater off sale and was maybe the mob in on this with me. Finally, they would release me and I would be deported and banished from France forever, just because I innocently tried to buy a sweater when I wasn’t allowed.

Enough about my neurotic episodes and back to the sales. Here is a great website I found, http://www.soldesbyparistouch.com/uk/shopping-journeys/ that lists the sales in circuits including the chic circuit, the trendy circuit, the original circuit, the romantic circuit, and the creative circuit. Each circuit lists fashion, galleries, restaurants, home accessories and more.

Bonne shopping and please share with us the bargains you find in the comments section below.

January Special:All tours are 160 euros instead of 175 euros

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour

includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.

Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

 

Comments

[Polly]

Richard,
Thanks for the link to this great series of shopping circuits, which would be great any time -- not just during the soldes.

We sure need all the bargains we can get these days, with the dollar/euro disaster!